From Scratch

Lentil Burgers

Let's talk vegetarian burgers for a minute, it's not like anything else big is happening today.

What royal wedding?

I've made lentil burgers before, and what I love about them is they are easy to make, filling, delicious, packed with protein AND so easy to customize to your (or your families) tastes.

Warning: This will be slightly green in color. If you have family or guests who may not be so enthusiastic about vegetarian fare (or for some reason might not like the idea of a greenish burger-go figure!) then you can distract them by adding a slice of cheese or giant lettuce garnish to it.

They are very delicious though, so do not be put off by the green color. Otherwise you will miss out. :)

Emma's Lentil Burgers, makes 8-10 medium size patties. These are great to freeze and save for another dinner night!

Ingredients: 2 1/4 cup dry lentils, 1/8 cup or more chopped green onion, 1/4 cup bread crumbs (two pieces of toast), 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, salt, pepper, and other spices you like (I used a bit of cayenne).

Cook the lentils according to the package directions. Usually it will give you a general range for cooking time based on how soft or firm you want the lentils to be. I stay on the firmer side when making burgers because the patties will stick together better that way.

In a food processor combine 80% of the cooked lentils and all the other ingredients and pulse until you have a cohesive mix. In a bowl stir in the remaining lentils and then form patties with your (clean) hands. I usually wrap them in plastic wrap as I go and freeze them for 20 minutes before cooking (helps them stick together). Plus then the rest you can leave in the freezer for another night.

Cook the patties in oil or butter over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve with your favorite burger garnishes.

*If you cook in oil and don't add cheese (like I did) these are also vegan!

xo. Emma

Food for thought

I recently finished reading 52 Loaves by William Alexander and I must say, I was so impressed. And talk about obsession, Alexander spent a whole year baking, traveling to bread conferences, taking baking courses in Pairs and even baking at a monastery all in the pursuit of the perfect loaf!

What a foodie. Geez.

This book chronicles his journey-it has irreverent humor, scientific facts, historical explorations and (maybe most importantly) recipes. I really enjoyed this entire book, and I highly recommend it. But I must warn you: it will have you wanting to stop everything and bake bread.

But that's not so bad, right? :)

What have you been reading lately? Any great summer reading suggestions?

Apple Nut Muffins

The other morning I woke up in the mood for muffins. With a crumb topping.

And then, for some reason, I was trying to remember what I used to eat for breakfast (or any meal really) back before I started cooking/baking.

I remember a lot of breakfast cereals, specifically cocoa pebbles and fruit loops.

I remember a lot of "bean quesadillas" made with tortillas and re fried beans (from a can) made in the toaster oven. Maybe with cheese if I was feeling fancy.

I ate a lot of toast with butter. I've always loved toast. Smells so nice in the morning or late afternoon.

And I ate a lot of frozen pizza. A whole lot.

I may or may not still eat most of these things.... I'll never tell.

But now I wake up dreaming of homemade muffins... and I can make them. And it usually goes well. And that feels good.

Apple Nut Muffins, makes 18 standard size muffins. Recipe adapted from here.

For the muffins: 1 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 3/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups chopped apples (I used a granny smith) and 1/2 cup nuts (I used chopped pecans).

For the crumb topping: 3/4 cup flour, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of salt and 6 tablespoons melted butter.

To make the batter mix together all the dry ingredients, then add in the wet and stir to combine. Last add in the apples and nuts and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into lined (or greased) muffin cups 2/3 full.

To make the crumb topping mix together all ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the filled muffin cups.

Bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes. If you make jumbo or mini sized muffins you will need to adjust your baking time.

xo. Emma

Happy Easter.

Hot Cross Scones.

Like hot cross buns... but lazier. I used Joy's recipe for Hot Cross Biscuits, but used cranberries and nuts instead of currants.

To be honest, I'm not totally sure I've ever even eaten a currant.

But I did want to pop in and wish you all a very happy Easter-and if you don't celebrate then a very happy... uh... normal Sunday.

xo. Emma

A Casual Combo...

...combo is a weird word, huh?

In other news: I stole this top from my sister.

Don't worry, she knows. She took this picture. Having a fashionable (and generous) big sister is pretty awesome. I think about half the outfits I put together have something she has... um... lent me.

These are the shortest shorts I own. I still can't bring myself to get anything (shorts, skirts, dresses) that are any shorter than my finger tips when I have my hands to the side.

This was a church camp rule growing up, and it stuck.

Outfit details: Top from Modcloth/my sister, hat from RV, pug necklace was a gift from Mallory and the other gold necklace was thrifted, shorts are AE that I cut myself, socks were thrifted and shoes are hand-me-downs from my grandmother.

All together my outfit cost: $0.

Just kidding. But only barely.

Have a greet weekend!!!!!! xo. Emma

Apple, Carrot and Cranberry Slaw

The weather is warming up and I am in the mood for picnic food. Doesn't even matter if I'm not going a picnic right then, I just want the food.

Like movie theater popcorn. You know? I've actually gone to a movie theater just to buy the popcorn before, and then not see any movies.

Sometimes I just want the food. So there.

This is a sweeter variation of the ever classic cole slaw. It's fun, and light and delicious. And pretty healthy. Not that I keep track of that sort of thing.

Apple, Carrot and Cranberry Slaw, makes 4-5 servings (side dish size).

For the salad: 4-5 medium carrots, 2 apples (I used granny smith), 1 cup dried cranberries.

Clean and peel the carrots and apples, then shred them using a box grater or mandolin knife.

For the dressing: 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the shredded apples and carrots, stir in cranberries. Serve cold. That's probably obvious. Whatevs.

xo. Emma

Yep. I found white boots.

It finally happened.

I was browsing the thrift store, minding my own business, when I saw them. White cowboy (or are you suppose to call them cowgirl) boots. Tucked among last year's Payless cast offs.

The day had finally come. Time to cash my chips in. Star-crossed.

I don't know what I'm talking about.

Here's something you may or may not know about me: my favorite color is green.

It's true. I mean, I like a lot of colors. And depending on the season or my mood I might be more inclined to one color than another. But if you ask me, "Hey Emma, what's your favorite color?" I will probably, like 99% of the time, say green.

I've been saying green since 1999. I am loyal if nothing else.

Outfit details: dress from Red Velvet, belt and boots were thrifted. Turquoise ring is a family heirloom. So to speak. And my hair is all natural.

Gottcha.

xo. Emma

Blackberry Blueberry Buckle

A "buckle" is a variation on the ever classic cobbler. This is also sometimes referred to as "spoon cake."

In fact as far as cobbler variations go there is: crumble, crisp, buckle, betty, spoon cake, etc.

Weird, right? And as far as my academic research took me (aka-I googled it) it seemed like each term had a pretty loose definition of which was which... so I went with alliteration. Always.

But if you are making this for mixed company and they ask what the heck a buckle is-just tell them its a cobbler. This will put everyone's mind at ease.

Another thing that will put everyone's mind at ease: serving this warm with vanilla ice cream.

Watching the white ice cream melt into the dark berry buckle is a summer-time pleasure not to be missed.

Some people would say that about roller-coasters. But I'm a foodie, not a dare devil.

(As you obviously have to be a dare devil to enjoy roller-coasters... or maybe I'm just a wuss.)

Blackberry Blueberry Buckle, makes 6-8 servings. Adapted from this cookbook.

Ingredients: 16 oz blackberries*, 12 oz blueberries*, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional), 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 3/4 cup melted butter.

For the filling*: mix together the fresh (or frozen and thawed) berries, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons corn starch. I did this right in my baking dish as the berry mix will be on the bottom anyway, and I hate washing extra dishes. Win, win.

For the batter: Whisk together flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and salt. Then mix in the egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Pour in the melted (and slightly cooled) butter and mix until you have a cohesive batter.

Spoon the batter over the berries in your baking dish. The batter will not perfectly cover the whole dish, don't worry it will spread out a bit while cooking. Bake at 350 F for 45-60 minutes (I believe mine was done around 50 minutes).

*As you can see in my photos I used a uniquely shaped vintage pyrex to bake my buckle in. If you use a traditional square pan you may want to use a few less berries but the same batter measurements. If you use a traditional rectangle dish (9x13) then you may want to use a few more berries and double the batter measurements.

Blowin' in the Wind

Don't look at my toe nails too closely.

I know I just posted a picture of them on the internet and all... but just try and notice the metallic shoes and not the chipping toe nail polish.

*Blush*

A really sweet gal who comes into the Sweet Shoppe alot gave us this dress.

I guess she sort of donated it to Red Velvet. She had a garage sale and this was one item that hadn't sold and she said she really didn't want to throw it out. I really adore it-so I am so glad she thought of us. :)

Outfit details: hat was a gift from Elsie via UO, dress was a gift/donation, cardigan from F21, shoes were thrifted.

It's been a super busy week at Red Velvet, due to the new e-courses coming out. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to check those out-thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Have a great weekend! xo. Emma

Zucchini Bread

I had a left over zucchini in my refrigerator due to an overestimation on vegetable consumption for a curry I made a few weeks ago.

Overestimation of vegetable consumption. Yeah, I'm a nerd.

So I decided to make some zucchini bread. I researched a recipe, and noticed that the nuts and chocolate where optional.

I disagree. Nuts and (especially) chocolate are not optional. Don't you dare leave them out.

Unless you have an allergy. In which case, I'm sorry. So sorry.

So if you want to make some too check out the above link with the recipe. If you choose to make muffins, like me, not only will they be easier to carry and giveaway but you can also cut the baking time down to only 20-22 minutes.

Which is pretty cool. Totally.

xo. Emma